Pleading his own case: German teacher Joachim Linde is well aware that something is amiss in his life and in his family, in light of which the trouble he has recently been experiencing with his students appears almost secondary. And now he cannot avoid going into the embarrassing details of his private life in order to save his skin. But Linde is determined not to let the situation get on top of him. This is a story about the apportioning of blame, both private and historical. 'Homework' is the tale of a man's attempt to straighten things out with himself - and the tangled web of wishful thinking and half-truths that results.